The present disclosure relates to taxiing systems, and more specifically, to interleaved motor controllers for an electric taxiing system.
Taxiing systems are used to control the movement of an aircraft on the ground under its own power. An airplane uses taxiways to taxi from one place on an airport to another; for example, when moving from a terminal to the runway.
Traditional taxiing systems use thrust from propellers or jet engines to propel the aircraft forward. Reverse thrust for backing up can be generated by thrust reversers, or reversible pitch propellers. However, most aircraft are not designed to back up on their own power and must be pushed back by using an aircraft tug.
Currently there is interest in the use of electric propulsion for taxiing systems in order to realize fuel savings. At the low power settings typically used during taxiing, combustion aircraft engines operate at a low efficiency. Accordingly, electric taxiing may significantly reduce aircraft fuel burn during taxiing and while waiting in queue to take off adds to the time on the ground.